Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is a giant bridge to be built linking Hong Kong, in the east, with the gambling mecca Macau and the neighbouring city of Zhuhai, the western Pearl River Delta, part of mainland China's southern industrial powerhouse.
The proposed 29-km(18 mile) bridge is expected to cost US$ 2 billion.
By slashing travel times between Hong Kong - which sits on the eastern bank of the delta's mouth as it opens out to the South China Sea, and the western shore, a large swath of less-developed southern China will be able to plug into the global market place using Hong Kong as its interface.
Hong Kong's main reward would be over the longer-term from tapping into that enhanced flow of people, goods and capital between China and the rest of the world.
With a portion of the structure becoming an undersea tunnel to allow for large container vessels, the concept is similar to that of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel in Virginia, United States.
The 29-km span would make it one of the world's longest bridges and is expected to reduce travel times between Hong Kong and Zhuhai or Macau to around 40 minutes from about 4.5 hours at present.
Although this project gains general welcome, there are still some worries. Some scholars point out that because of the convenient transport between Hong Kong and Macau after the bridge being built, the tourists from Mainland China are likely to spend some part of money in Hong Kong now in Macau. Besides, Hong Kong has to face the cheaper cost of the export in Macau.
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The chairman of Hong Kong-listed Hopewell Holdings Ltd Gordon Wu is an advocate for 20 years of the Asia's largest bridge project which was supported by the Chinese government in August 2003.
Wu has used Hopewell since 1980s to develop his vision of creating a world-class transport system for China's manufacturing powerhouse in the Pearl River Delta, which includes Hong Kong and much of Guangdong province.
Hopewell Highway Infrastructure Ltd, the highway unit of the Hong Kong conglomerate Hopewell Holdings Ltd was spinned off and listed in Hong Kong on August 6, 2003, and hopes to make a bid for a stake in the project.
In order to coordinate the project, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Advance Work Coordination Group was established in 2003. According toe the second meeting of the group, officials from three sides decided to set up an office specifically in Guangzhou to do the work of the group and appoint a design institute in the Mainland to conduct the feasibility study and produce a report on landing spot for the bridge.
For the Hong Kong part of the bridge, the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau plans to seek $59 million from the Legislative Council's public works subcommittee for investigations and preliminary design work.
Preliminary work on the proposed Y-shaped bridge is expected to be completed by the end of 2004.
Authorities from three sides have proposed that a detailed study be conducted on the impact the project might have on the habitats of rare tree frogs, horseshoe crabs and Chinese white dolphins.
See also:
Participation of Gordon Wu
Preparations
Environmental impact
External Link